Stenographic-printing machine



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

G. K. ANDERSON.

STENOGRAPHIG PRINTING MACHINE.

No. 323,286. Patented July 28, 1885.

Int/971107 George Jf. Anderaovg (No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2.-

' G. K. ANDERSON.

' STENOGRAPHIG PRINTING MACHINE. No. 323.286. Patented July 28, 1885.

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TINTTRD STATES PATENT @rrrca.

GEORGE KERR ANDERSON, OF MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE.

STENOGRAPHlC-PRINTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 323,286, dated July 28,1885.

Application filed December 30, 1884.

(No model.) Patented in England June 17, 1884, No. 9,048, and in Canada June 26, 1884,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE KERR ANDER- soN, of Memphis, in the county of Shelby and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stenographie Printing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

' My invention relates to a type writing or printing machine of novel construction for recording speech and performing light work requiring rapidity of execution.

The invention is based upon and designed to carry out a novel method of recording speech involving an arbitrary arrangement of characters, a peculiar mode of indicating or giving to different characters a varying value or significance, and a plan of abbreviating the printed representations of the words, all of which method forms the subject-matter of a separate application filed by me, from which this application is separated and of which it is a division.

In carrying out my plan of recording speech I require the use at times of thirteen keys, and

it is necessary that the keys shall be capable of simultaneous operation, and important that they shall print in regular succession or order in a straight line. It is to secure these results that the present machine is designed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved machine; Fig. 2, aplan view of the same; Fig. 3, a longitudinal vertical section; Fig. 4, a detail view of the feed mechanism.

A indicates a base or bottom board, upon which the machine is mounted, said board being supported upon rubber feet or buttons to prevent undue sound, and B B B B indicate posts or uprights secured upon said baseboard to support the mechanism, for which posts upright plates may be advantageously substituted.

0 indicates a roll, advisably covered with rubber or other elastic material, and journaled in standards or side plates of the frame, in which it is free to rotate in one direction. The roll 0 is furnished at one endwith a ratchetwheel, a, with which a pawl, D, engages, said pawl being pivoted to a rocking frame or yoke, E, the arms of which are secured to a rod or shaft, F, which is journaled in posts B or in the side plates of the frame when such plates are substituted for the posts. A lever or arm, G, attached to and projecting from the shaft F, serves to rock said shaft and to swing the yoke E upward against the joint action of gravity and of a spring, 2;, which latter renders the descent of the yoke quicker and more certain than it would be if dependent upon gravity alone. The pawl D is pressed forward and caused to engage with ratchet-wheel a by a spring, 0,- but its forward movement is limited, so that if the yoke be rocked beyond a certain point the pawl will be withdrawn from engagement with the ratchet, and thus prevented from moving or turning the paperfeed roller too far.

The horizontal bar d of yoke E extends across a series of key-bars, H, each of which bars is pivoted in a seat or support, 6, and furnished at its inner end with a sign or character arranged to strike the inner side of roll 0, the several characters being arranged side by side in a straight line, so that all may be caused to strike simultaneously. Under this arrangement the depression of the button f of any key of the series will cause the elevation of the inner end of the key-bar and the type- I die or character thereon, bringing it into contact with the roll 0 or with the paper which passes under and around said roll. Backward rotation of roll 0 is prevented by a pawl, h, which engages with ratchetwheel a.

I indicates a press-roll, which has its journals extended into slots in the posts Bor side frames of the machine, and which rests directly upon roll 0 or upon the paper passing over the same, producing friction and causing said paper to be fed forward by the rotation of the roll 0.

J and K indicate two rolls, which carry the ink-ribbon L, which ribbon winds from one roll to the other in order to afford a fresh surface for the type to act upon when type are used. Each of the rolls J K carries a gear- 5 IOO in ordinary type-writers. The rolls J K are set in such relation to roll 0 that the ribbon is held up close against the paper and kept in contact with or close to the same at all times. Paper is drawn from a roll, M, journaled in standards or in side frames, a long band or strip of paper about two inches in width beingwound upon the roll.

Referring now to the keys orkey-bars, which are numbered consecutively from 1 to 13 in the drawings, this arrangement or order of the characters will be explained, this particular order being the result of careful study, and particularly adapted to enable speech or language to be rapidly recorded by mechanism. As the right hand is usually most used in manipulating the keys, I provide keys 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6, which are arranged in a curved line, so as to be simultaneously struck by the fingers and thumb of the right hand, with characters which separately represent in the order of their numbers S, D, V, T, and B, but the last four of which, combined in certain predetermined orders, represent nearly all the consonants required in stenography, and combined with 5 and 9, used jointly, serve to represent the vowels, numerals, a few of the consonants, and certain combinations of the 0011- sonants. Key 7 represents A, AN, AND, or I, its significance being determined by the context. Keys 5 and 9, respectively, bear marks which separately serve to indicate in the first syllable of each word whether the accented vowel of that word belongs to the first or to the third series of accented vowels, it being understood of course that in this system the ordinary stenographic plan is followed in classifying the vowels in three groups. As mentioned, keys 1 2 3 at 6 are in position to be readily struck simultaneously by the fingers and thumb of the right hand, and keys 8, 10, 11, 12, and 13 are similarly arranged for the left hand. Key 7 is in such position that it may be struck by the knuckle joint of the thumb of the right or left hand with or without moving the tips of the fingers or thumb from any of their keys. Keys 5 and 9 are so placed that the inner side of the hand or the fleshy base of the thumb of the respective hands may be readily caused to bear thereon likewise and to actuate said keys simultaneously with the others without changing the position of the tips or ends of the fingers or thumbs. In this way any or all of the keys may be simultaneously struck. This peculiar grouping of the keys is of the utmost importance, since it permits thirteen distinct keys to be manipulated with great rapidity without moving the fingers or thumbs of either hand from the keys specially provided for them.

Letters, figures, numbers, syllables, or even words can be printed at a single stroke of this machine as fully as the same are written stenographically.

Spacing may be performed, when required, by operating the arm G.

A paper bed or table, P, guides and supports the paper as it runs out from the machine.

The mark indicating the class to which the accented vowel belongs renders spacing ordinarily unnecessary.

Instead of a single key 7 two independent keys, one for each thumb joint or knuckle, may be provided, each bearing a special character, and thus fourteen keys may be simultaneouslyor independently actuated.

The machine is susceptible of various modifications as to details; but it is important that the keys or their finger-buttons f be arranged in curved lines, as shown, so that the fingers may be placed simultaneously upon ten keys, and that the three or four additional keys shown and described may be operated simultaneously with any or all of the keys struck by the fingers. Thus, instead of pivoted key-bars, a series of upright bars or stems, sharpened at their lower ends or bearing type or dies and raised by springs, may be used, the paperfeeding mechanism being modified or located accordingly, and in like manner other de tails may be modified or varied without departing from the spirit of my invention.

The aparatus may also be used as a telegraph-instrument, each key completing a circuit when depressed and causing the operation of the corresponding key of a like instrument at a distant point, each circuit including a battery and an electromagnet to actuate its particular type-bar.

I am aware that it is not, broadly, new to provide buttons to be depressed by the fingers and thumbs, and to provide also additional buttons to be depressed by the wrist or wrists. This I do not claim, although I employ such wrist-buttons in my machine in addition to others. I am not,however, aware that any one has ever before located a button or buttons at such point in relation to the finger and thumb buttons that while the fingers and thumb of one hand press each upon a separate button the sixth button may be depressed by the knuckle or body of the thumb, and this is a feature of great importance where the essential point to be gained is the simultaneous manipulation of a large number of buttons.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. I11 a stenographic printing or writing machine, two groups of keys, each key pro- Vided independently with a special character or mark, and having their finger-buttons arranged in curved lines corresponding to the position of the fingers and thumbs of y the two hands as held in the act of striking the keys, whereby any or all of the keys may be struck at a time without shifting the hands or fingers.

2. In astenographic machine, the combination of two groups of keys arranged in curved lines corresponding to the position of the fingers of the two hands, a key or keys in rear of and between the groups in position to be actuated by the j oint or knuckle of the thumbs, and two keys in position to be actuated by the body of the hand or wrist without shifting the hand, whereby any or all of the keys may be operated at a time.

3. Two series of keys, each series arranged 5 with its finger-buttons in a curved line for the application thereto of the respective fingers,thumbs,thumb-j oints, and wrists or bodies of each hand of the operator, one key for each finger and wrist or palm of each hand, and 10 one common to both thumb-joints, the keys being provided, substantially as described,

with type-characters which singly and by permutation may represent the letter S preceding the consonants, vowels, combinations of consonants, and numerals of the ordinary al- 15 phabet, and the sounds or letters R, L, N, T

or D and S or Z succeeding the same.

GEORGE KERR ANDERSON.

WVitnesses:

WILLIAM W. DODGE, WVALTER S. DODGE. 

